Get a coke and get ready to read the best story you've ever read. It's a story about me and how I became Georgia's Own Cub Club® Mascot.

I should start out by telling you a little bit about me. My name is Willie Bear and I live in the woods of Georgia. I have a nice, small family. There's Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and me when I was just a Baby Bear. (Hey! Give me a break, I don't laugh at your baby pictures!!)

I have grown a lot in the past seven years. Like most bears my age, I like to play and fish. I also like to go to school. One of my favorite things to do is to take trips to the city with Mama and Papa. (That's me on the See-Saw with Papa. If you can't tell, I'm the little one with the green hat!)

One day Mama and Papa took me with them to Georgia's Own Credit Union. Georgia's Own is where Mama and Papa take care of all their financial needs. (Financial is just a fancy word grown-ups use for money!!) Mama and Papa have been saving and borrowing money with the Credit Union for years. (Kind of like a big piggy bank!)

I liked Georgia's Own. Everyone there was very friendly. They were all smiling and looked happy. I walked over to one of the nice people's desk and what did I see behind him, but a poster with my picture on it! (OK, maybe it wasn't my picture, but it looked like me.)

The top of the poster said "The Cub Club©." I'm a curious type of bear so I went up to the nice man and asked him what "The Cub Club©" was. "The Cub Club© is a club just for young cubs like you," the nice man said. "You can open up your own savings account at Georgia's Own and you will receive a Cub Club© coloring book and a Cub Club© Record Keeper to keep track of all the money you saved." That sounded good enough but then he told me that when my savings reached $250, I would get my very own FREE bear puppet. (That sounds better than playing with a frog on a Sunday afternoon!!!!)

I was so excited that I couldn't wait to get home. I took all my money from my piggy bank and saw that I had $10 already saved. Mama and Papa took me to Georgia's Own the next day and I opened up my very own Cub Club© account. (I even got one of those way cool coloring books. Jealous, aren't you?)

Over the next couple of weeks I did everything I could to make a little extra money. Whether it was clean up the dishes or bringing Mama breakfast in bed when she was sick, I was a cub on a mission. I wanted that puppet. (You know what they say about catching more flies with honey than vinegar, it works with bears too. I love honey!!!!!!)

Every time Mama or Papa would go to the Credit Union, I would tag along and bring my money. Then I would write down each deposit, so I would know when I was close to that great puppet. Then I got this envelope from Georgia's Own. Inside was a statement that said I had more money than I thought I had. Mama explained to me that Georgia's Own gives everyone who saves at the Credit Union a dividend every quarter just as their way of saying thanks. (What nice people, I don't know how they stay in business.)

Georgia's Own generosity gave me more reason to save. I kept putting all my money into the Credit Union until one day I noticed something fantastic. I had saved $250 and I was ready to get my puppet. (Boy that made me jump for joy!)

Papa and I decided to go to the Credit Union to pick up my free bear puppet. I was so excited I must have run the whole way. (Papa had a rough time keeping up with me!)

Georgia's Own was so impressed with my good savings habit that they asked if they could use me as their official Cub Club© mascot. I told them sure. I want everyone to know that saving at Georgia's Own is easy and exciting once you get started. So be like me, and open up a Cub Club© account today. (I can be your role model, just make sure you find your own frog!)